TripLine, StoryMap, MapScholar, and the "Wish You Were Here" Project.
I made a map of all the sites included in the “Wish You Were Here” project using the mapping tool www.tripline.net. This tool was straightforward and easy to use, and has many features that connect it to other social media outlets. All it takes to make a map is creating an account, which can be connected to a facebook page. While open to everyone, this feature allows institutions, such as the Florida State Parks Department, to create their official map of a project to be connected to an official facebook page, to let visitors know they are not following a random itinerary, but one endorsed by the state.
Creating the map using Tripline was extremely straightforward. All I had to do was selected a map title, choose the type of trip (of which there were many options including vacation, historical event, road trip, etc), select a main location (I chose Florida as the State Parks in the itinerary are all over the state), and decide the visibility of the map (I chose Public, so everyone can have access to it). I then started to create the map. The website uses Google Maps, making searching for the parks simple. Once I had added all the parks and other places mentioned in the official itinerary I went through the list and added more description. A huge strength of Tripline is the details that can be added to each destination. Any title can be chosen for each destination along with a description, private notes only visible to travelers, an address, a phone number, and a link to a website. Specific dates can also be added to the maps which would be helpful for individuals mapping out a vacation, but this tool would not be applicable for the “Wish You Were Here” project.
I was let down once my map was created, as the visual aesthetics were far from pleasing. As I imported the descriptions for each location directly from the Florida States Park itinerary, the map became very text heavy with little visualizations. When exploring the website I saw from example maps that images could be added to the descriptions, but failed to figure out how to accomplish that. Upon reading the about page, it seems that Flickr and Instagram pictures can be added to any map, but as I do not personally have any Instragram photos of the state parks it seems I will not be able to take advantage of this feature.
I chose Tripline to make a map as the tool has an Iphone app as well as a moble website and printable option for maps, which would allow any tourist ease of access to the “Wish You Were Here” itinerary. However I am disappointed by the lack of customization, as the final product is not very engaging. Customization is StoryMap’s (http://storymap.knightlab.com/) strongest feature, as images, videos, and text can be attached to each map from an wide array of social media websites including by not limited to Vine, Wikipedia, Youtube, Soundcloud, Flicker, Instagram, and more. The aesthetics of StoryMap are far better than TripLine, as the map is side-by-side with the text description and images rather than under the map, giving visitors a better sensemaking tool. However, no direct addresses, phone numbers, or website links seem to be allowed to be added making this tool ore appropriate for mapping out past events rather than current itineraries.
MapScholar (http://mapscholar.org/) delves even deeper than StoryMap into the historical aspects of places and events, by integrating images of historical maps with Google Maps along with an accompanying explanation. However, the examples I viewed ran very slow on my browser, meaning this site would not be the best for the “Wish You Were Here” project as many visitors would be using their data throughout the parks- I believe this website would eat up a lot of data. As a tool for historians, MapScholar is very useful, as historic maps can be layered over Google Maps, making visualizing where cartography occurred easy and visually stimulating. The timeline accompanied with projects of MapScholar is also a strength of the tool.
Overall, I am torn between TripLine and StoryMap in regards to the Florida State Parks Project. I would have to delve deeper into TripLine’s features and create a map in StoryMap to be able to make a final decision. The map I created can be found at: http://www.tripline.net/trip/Wish_You_Were_Here-3320057534001010846CD3911DD2B434
